Emi Wada

Japanese costume designer (1937–2021)

Emi Wada

Born|

Emiko Noguchi

(1937-03-18)18 March 1937

Kyoto, Japan

Died| 13 November 2021(2021-11-13) (aged 84)
Spouse| Ben Wada (1957–2011)
Awards| Best Costume Design
1985 Ran
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
1993 Oedipus Rex

Emi Wada (和田 惠美, Wada Emi, 18 March 1937 – 13 November 2021) was a Japanese costume designer who worked extensively in stage, screen, and ballet productions. She was born in Kyoto, and attended Kyoto City University of Arts before she married Tsutomu (Ben) Wada at age 20. She was nominated for 13 awards and won six, most notably the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Akira Kurosawa's film Ran (1985). Wada died on 13 November 2021, at the age of 84.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Wada was born in Kyoto Prefecture. She was the eldest of four daughters and went to high school at Doshisha Girls’ Junior High School. Wada wanted to become a painter, and even though there were few women studying painting in university, her liberal family supported her dream. She took the entrance exam and entered the Department of Western Painting in Kyoto City University of Arts.

While visiting Yoshihide Yoda, her mother’s acquaintance who worked on film screenplays, Wada met Tsutomu (Ben) Wada. Tsutomu Wada was a NHK Osaka TV drama director at the time. Wada had recently submitted her work to the New York Parson School of Arts and the Chicago Art Institute. However, instead of studying abroad on scholarship, she married Tsutomu Wada at age 20, six months after their first encounter.[1]

Despite having initially gone to school to become a painter, her relationship with her husband led to designing the stage effects and costumes for plays he was involved with. From then, Wada continued designing for the stage.[2]

## Career

[edit]

She created costumes for the Akira Kurosawa film Ran, which earned her an Academy Award for costume design, the Peter Greenaway film Prospero's Books, and the Zhang Yimou films, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. She designed costumes for operas, including the 2006 premiere performance of Tan Dun's The First Emperor[3] and for ballets, including The Peony Pavilion by Fei Bo (National Ballet of China, 2008).

Wada also designed the costumes for the 2018 Chinese adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear.[4]

She released multiple books of her works, including My Costumes, EMI WADA WORKS, and My Life in the Making, the latter of which was created on pieces of textiles with pictures of her work inside.

Wada died on 13 November 2021, at the age of 84.[5]

## Awards

[edit]

Wada and her costumes were nominated for thirteen awards and won six.[6]

Year | Title | Award

|
|

2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design
2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Costume Design
2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Won OFTA Award for Best Costume Design
2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Won NETPAC Award for Best Costume Design and Make Up
2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Nominated for INOCA Award for Best Costume Design
2005 | House of Flying Daggers | Nominated for Golden Derby Film Award for Costume Design
1986 | Ran | Won Academy Award for Best Costume Design
1987 | Ran | Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design
2003 | Hero | Won Hong Kong Film Award for Best Costume/Make Up
2005 | Hero | Nominated for OFTA Award for Best Costume Design
2009 | Lang Zai ji | Nominated for Golden Horse Award for Best Makeup & Costume Design
2010 | Lang zai ji | Nominated for Asian Film Award for Best Costume Designer
1993 | Oedipus Rex | Won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding individual achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
2022 | Love After Love | Nominated for Hong Kong Film Award for Best Costume & Make Up Design
2011 | Reign of Assassins | Nominated for Hong Kong Film Award for Best Costume & Make Up Design
1998 | The Soong Sisters | Won Hong Kong Film Award for Best Costume & Make Up Design
2007 | The Restless | Nominated for Grand Bell Award for Best Costume Design
2007 | The Go Master | Nominated for Asian Film Award for Best Production Designer

## Reception

[edit]

Her work for the 2015 production of The Peony Pavilion was described by The Washington Post as "some of the loveliest ballet creations in memory" with the newspaper further noting that: "Skirt hems flickered like flames as the dancers moved, and the leading ballerina’s sheer overdress floated around her like an afterglow."[7]

### Recent works

[edit]

* Rokumeikan (1986)
* Princess from the Moon (1987)
* Rikyu (1989)
* Dream (1990)
* Prospero’s Books (1991)
* The Pillow Book (1997)
* The Soong Sisters (1998)
* 8 ½ Women (2000)
* Hero (2002)
* Lovers (2004)
* House of Flying Daggers (2005)
* Spirit (2006)
* The Go Master (2007)
* Mongol (2007)
* Warrior & Wolf (2011)
* Reign of Assassins (2011)
* Wu Dang (2013)
* Oh My General (2017)
* Ran (2017)
* Lady Of The Dynasty (2017)
* God of War (2018)
* They Say Nothing Stays the Same (2019)
* Samurai Marathon (2019)
* Love After Love (2020)[8]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "ひとつの世界を作り上げるためすべての衣装を作る::Back Number::Ms Wendy::分譲マンションと生活に関する情報 Wendy-Net". Retrieved 15 November 2023.
2. ^ "Embassy of Japan in the UK".
3. ^ Chen, Nan (25 September 2023). ""MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE FIRST EMPEROR."". China Daily: 18.
4. ^ "King Lear Chinese Folio Translation Project". Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
5. ^ "Oscar-winning costume designer Emi Wada dies aged 84 -reports". Reuters. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
6. ^ "Emi Wada – Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
7. ^ Kaufman, Sarah. "‘The Peony Pavilion’: Underpowered beauty". Washington, D.C." The Washington Post, 15 July 2015.
8. ^ "ワダエミ : 関連作品（映画） (2)". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 December 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Emi Wada official site
* Emi Wada at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Academy Award for Best Costume Design

1948–1956|

* 1948 (Black and white): Roger K. Furse / (Color): Dorothy Jeakins and Barbara Karinska
* 1949 (bw): Edith Head and Gile Steele / (c): Marjorie Best, Leah Rhodes and William Travilla
* 1950 (bw): Edith Head, Charles LeMaire / (c): Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Elois Jenssen, Gile Steele, Gwen Wakeling
* 1951 (bw): Edith Head /(c): Orry-Kelly, Walter Plunkett, Irene Sharaff
* 1952 (bw): Helen Rose / (c): Marcel Vertès
* 1953 (bw): Edith Head / (c): Charles LeMaire, Emile Santiago
* 1954 (bw): Edith Head / (c): Sanzo Wada
* 1955 (bw): Helen Rose / (c): Charles LeMaire
* 1956 (bw): Jean Louis / (c): Irene Sharaff

1957–1958|

* 1957: Orry-Kelly
* 1958: Cecil Beaton

1959–1960|

* 1959 (bw): Orry-Kelly / (c): Elizabeth Haffenden
* 1960 (bw): Edith Head and Edward Stevenson / (c): Bill Thomas and Arlington Valles

1961–1966|

* 1961 (bw): Piero Gherardi / (c): Irene Sharaff
* 1962 (bw): Norma Koch / (c): Mary Wills
* 1963 (bw): Piero Gherardi / (c): Renié, Vittorio Nino Novarese and Irene Sharaff
* 1964 (bw): Dorothy Jeakins / (c): Cecil Beaton
* 1965 (bw): Julie Harris / (c): Phyllis Dalton
* 1966 (bw): Irene Sharaff / (c): Joan Bridge and Elizabeth Haffenden

1967–1980|

* 1967: John Truscott
* 1968: Danilo Donati
* 1969: Margaret Furse
* 1970: Vittorio Nino Novarese
* 1971: Yvonne Blake and Antonio Castillo
* 1972: Anthony Powell
* 1973: Edith Head
* 1974: Theoni V. Aldredge
* 1975: Milena Canonero and Ulla-Britt Söderlund
* 1976: Danilo Donati
* 1977: John Mollo
* 1978: Anthony Powell
* 1979: Albert Wolsky
* 1980: Anthony Powell

1981–2000|

* 1981: Milena Canonero
* 1982: Bhanu Athaiya and John Mollo
* 1983: Marik Vos-Lundh
* 1984: Theodor Pištěk
* 1985: Emi Wada
* 1986: Jenny Beavan and John Bright
* 1987: James Acheson
* 1988: James Acheson
* 1989: Phyllis Dalton
* 1990: Franca Squarciapino
* 1991: Albert Wolsky
* 1992: Eiko Ishioka
* 1993: Gabriella Pescucci
* 1994: Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner
* 1995: James Acheson
* 1996: Ann Roth
* 1997: Deborah Lynn Scott
* 1998: Sandy Powell
* 1999: Lindy Hemming
* 2000: Janty Yates

2001–2020|

* 2001: Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie
* 2002: Colleen Atwood
* 2003: Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor
* 2004: Sandy Powell
* 2005: Colleen Atwood
* 2006: Milena Canonero
* 2007: Alexandra Byrne
* 2008: Michael O'Connor
* 2009: Sandy Powell
* 2010: Colleen Atwood
* 2011: Mark Bridges
* 2012: Jacqueline Durran
* 2013: Catherine Martin
* 2014: Milena Canonero
* 2015: Jenny Beavan
* 2016: Colleen Atwood
* 2017: Mark Bridges
* 2018: Ruth E. Carter
* 2019: Jacqueline Durran
* 2020: Ann Roth

2021–present|

* 2021: Jenny Beavan
* 2022: Ruth E. Carter
* 2023: Holly Waddington

* Black and White / Color separate (1948–1956, 1959–1966)

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